The Toxicology Center at The University of Iowa has been active in research in Biochemical Toxicology, Pharmacology, and Clinical Pediatric Pharmacology. Significant advances have been made in understanding heme biosynthetic processes of liver, adrenal, and heart and the regulation of the glucuronidation of drugs in experimental animals and in man. Insight into the control over sulfation and glucuronidation as metabolic routes in young and adult experimental animals and humans was gained. Recently, the ocular toxicity of methanol in the monkey has been described and defined and a new understanding of the mechanism of optic nerve toxicity in man has resulted. The regulation of the synthesis of insulin and the disruption of this synthetic process by cyproheptadine is described and the protection against the toxicity of alloxan has been defined. Oxygen toxicity has been examined and the relationship of superoxide dismutase in the syndrome of oxygen toxicity has been studied and described and other programs dealing with hypoxia and hyperoxia in the newborn are under investigation. Pediatric clinical pharmacology studies include the investigations on Amikacin, its pharmacokinetics in newborn infants and the effects of hypoxia on those kinetics. Each program of research is directed to an understanding of underlying mechanisms behind the production of toxicity of drugs and other environmental intoxicants. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Condie, L.W., J. Baron, and T.R. Tephly. Studies on adrenal alpha-aminolevulinic acid synthetase. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 172: 123-129, 1976. Condie. L.W., T.R. Tephly, and J. Baron. Studies on heme biosynthesis in the rat adrenal. Annals of Clinical Research 8: (Supplement 17) 83-88, 1976 (Helsinki).